"I can't believe we're going ahead with this festival plan," Inu said in a huff. Her dinner plate was already licked clean, but the other women were still eating. Except for Inara, who wasn't present.

"I promise I'm fully recovered," Akari pouted. She was really looking forward to Aki Masturi. Participating in the annual harvest festival was a treasured tradition for her, and she thought the Shinto-inspired idol performance would be a blast.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Inu glanced at Neko for just an instant, but the message was clear.

Neko's ears folded back and her green eyes went from gorgeous to sinister in an instant. "What? You think I'm gonna screw it up?"

"Yeah, I do," Inu barked. "And if you don't cause a scene, Inara's aura will. There's a damn good reason she doesn't go into town anymore."

"This is the difference between me and you," Neko spat, hackles raised. "I have a goal that I'm working towards, a dream that I won't risk. I'm more worried about you screwing up at the festival on purpose, since your only dream seems to be keeping Inara stuck on this mountainside with you."

Akari felt a strange sense of deja vu at the thought of Inu causing a scene at the festival. A vision? she wondered for a moment. No, I think I'm just remembering when Inu hassled my ex at the last festival. Still helps prove Neko's point though…

Hebi's scaly grey tail whipped out over the table like a referee's flag and she firmly said, "Inara has been practicing control. She spent a whole afternoon in town with Usagi with no issue, and she's putting it to the test in Shinjō right now. If she can keep her aura in check for a whole day and night on her own, she'll be able to manage a few hours at the festival just fine."

Nodding along, Usagi added, "And Inara can always sneak away in fox form if things get dicey."

Then Hebi shot both Inu and Neko a piercing glare. "And neither of you are going to cause a scene at Aki Matsuri, because you both understand the problems it would cause for yourself, Inara, and the rest of this family."

"Yes, Mom," Neko said with a wave of her forked tail. "In other news, I'm gonna go watch a couple movies with modern slang so I don't sound like a total fossil when I'm chatting up the locals. Anyone wanna join?"

Surprisingly, Usagi raised a hand. "I do. But what are we going to watch them on?" Even after so many years, the shrine still didn't have a modern entertainment center, or even a TV.

Neko grinned, put an arm around Akari's shoulders and pulled her close. "On Akari's fancy new laptop. The screen is hella amazing."

"Oh, you're in too, Akari?" Usagi asked.

"I guess so, since my laptop's been volunteered." Then her eyes went wide and sparkly, "Ooh, and I'll bring hot cocoa and a pile of blankets."

"That sounds lovely," Usagi said as she hopped to her feet. Then she looked down at all the dishes on the table and frowned.

"I'll clean up dinner," Hebi offered, "since you cooked such a delicious meal for us."

"Thanks!" Usagi and Akari said in unison, while Neko just nodded.

After they left, Inu stuck around to help with the dishes. And to vent some more. As she moved a stack of dirty dishes to the sink, she said, "I'm surprised you're not with me on this, Hebi. Holding a festival here at the shrine was one thing, but going to one in town, surrounded by humans…"

Hebi shrugged. "This is a big deal for the shrine, as a way to promote Inara's new self improvement domain. It's important to her."

"I know that, but…" Inu put her hands on the edge of the sink and let her head hang. All her normal energetic pep was gone, and only apprehension remained.

Hebi stepped close and put a comforting hand on Inu's back. "It'll be fine, Inu." Then she started to rub between Inu's shoulders. The muscles there were like steel cables from all the stress. "You just need to have more faith."

Inu slowly melted under Hebi's firm touch. She took a slow breath, then said, "More faith in Inara, or Neko?"

"Both."

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Inara stood in front of the shrine stairs, hands clasped and a broad smile on her lips. She wore a red winter kimono with an oversized white scarf to fight off the late October chill. Seven black-tipped tails swayed through the air behind her, but this time her passion wasn't of the sexual variety.

"My test run in town was a great success, thanks in part to my new gift of foresight. It was quite the novel experience when it warned me about humans that were falling too far under my allure." Inara smiled at Akari, who was seated on the stairs next to the other girls, and added, "Thank you for that, dear Akari."

Akari wriggled happily and smiled back, but something scratched at the back of her mind, something about the words 'dear Akari'. Before she could ponder it further, the conversation had moved on.

"On a related note," Hebi started, "Akari, have you started on Neko's shrine maiden outfit?" The other girls still had their custom-tailored miko clothes from the previous festival.

"Oh." Akari sucked in a breath through her teeth. "No I haven't… Sorry."

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Neko waved a hand. "It's fine! I'll handle it. I can conjure clothing on demand, remember?" To prove her point, she replaced her black long-sleeve tee and jeans with a scandalously skimpy miko-inspired outfit, the kind that was basically just red and white lingerie.

Inara shook her head. "I'm willing to let you outside shrine grounds for this special event, but I never agreed to allow your powers." She eyed Neko's conjured clothing for a second, then added, "And as sexy as it is, that choice of attire isn't helping your case."

"Aww, dang," Neko said, accepting her fate awfully quickly. "I know! I'll help Akari sew it. That's the least I can do."

Akari hugged Neko around the shoulders, trying to ignore the lewd outfit and the strangely potent effect the sexy miko look had on her. "That'd be wonderful! My schedule is still a bit tight though. The festival is so soon…"

Hebi raised one hand and the tip of her tail in unison. "I can take over some of the festival prep for you, starting with all the digital correspondence."

Akari released the hug that had quickly grown uncomfortably intimate and said, "Assistance accepted! You're wonderful, Hebi."

Inara spoke and instantly captured everyone's attention. "Usagi's on food planning again, since we secured a food stall next to our stage. And I have a special task in mind for Inu."

"Really?" Inu tried to keep her voice level, but her tail was wagging so fast it was blowing fallen leaves off nearby stair steps.

"I need you to scout the area in advance and map out possible escape routes if things go sour. I don't expect any trouble, but if there is, I want all of us to be able to get to safety without revealing our true natures, and without resorting to any memory modification." That last bit was clearly for Akari, who was rightfully disapproving of that kind of magic after what it did to Hanako.

Inu sat bolt upright and gave a quick nod. "You've got it, Miss Inara. I'll go down tonight after sundown."

"And what about you, Mistress?" Usagi asked with one ear perked upward in curiosity. "Are you helping too?"

"I'll be planning the Shinto Shrine Maiden Idol Contest, of course. Since you five will be on stage, it makes sense for me to coordinate everything from behind the scenes." A luminous smile blessed her features and her eyes sparkled with excitement. "And don't worry, I'll make sure the performance gives each of you equal equal time in the spotlight."

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Unlike Inara's Rei-sai festivities, which had been entirely the Mori-jinsha Shrine's responsibility, Aki Matsuri was a coordinated effort from dozens of shrines in the Shinjō area. And since it was a long running tradition, they'd long ago figured out how to keep it running smoothly. The girls from Mori-jinsha only had to show up, check in, and set up their booth. Their stage was already fully constructed, and it even had lights and a canopy that would let the show go on if the perfect autumn weather didn't stick around.

"Alright, girls," Inara said from up on the small stage. She was dressed in a plain grey kimono, her hair was tied back into a bun, and her ears and tails were nowhere to be seen. She looked like a normal human woman, albeit a very beautiful and motherly one. "Let's stay focused today. Our goals are to promote our shrine to a new audience and announce the new self-improvement domain. Don't let your enthusiasm for the popularity contest distract from what's important."

Five shrine maidens nodded in unison, all wearing red hakama skirts and white tops with long, loose sleeves. The miko outfits had all been crafted by Akari in the same style, but each girl wore hers slightly differently to accent her own figure. Usagi's top was pulled tight in the middle, showing off her hourglass curves. Inu's was loose and practical, worn more like a karate gi than a miko outfit. Hebi looked especially slim and tall with her longer skirt and narrow hips. Akari wore hers the most traditionally, albeit with a bit of non-traditional mascara and blush to give her a very feminine look. And finally, Neko had used her influence as Akari's crafting assistant to give her outfit a couple subtle and sexy touches: cut out hips with visible panty straps, and a hint of bared cleavage at the chest.

"Yes, Miss Inara," Inu said confidently, ears alert and tail wagging. She had resolved to keep everyone and their secrets safe through this reckless event, even if she had to watch over every inch of their area herself.

Just like at the previous festival, most of the animal spirits had their ears and tails on display. The exception was Hebi, whose tail was too long and prehensile to pass as a costume piece. She kept it out of sight beneath her long skirt. Usagi was loving the attention her bunny ears got from the other festival volunteers, and Neko struggled to keep her tail's movements believable, since a robotic costume tail couldn't sway and flick so naturally.

"Look at this crowd," Neko marvelled as the public started to wander down the temporarily repurposed street. It took the visitors a while to work their way past all the other stalls and spectacles, but soon they were gathering at Usagi's fried sweet potato stall and asking about the idol performance that was advertised on a large banner.

"I've… I've seen this before," Akari muttered. The lights, the crowd, Neko in her shrine outfit. They were all so familiar. She started to feel light-headed, and that's when she remembered. This had been one of the scenes she'd glimpsed in her first true vision. Before she'd blacked out.

And true to her vision, Neko's forked tail flitted back and forth through the air. It was exactly like the tail of a stalking housecat, just before it pounced. And with that image in her head, Akari realized that Neko had been quite the schemer. She had planned to earn some human followers tonight, another step toward her goal of becoming a powerful Superior Spirit, but at least her prey wouldn't suffer this time.

Akari darted forward and grabbed Neko's slender tail, just below the fork. "Watch the tail. It was making you look like a predator preparing to gobble these people up."

Neko glanced back with a grin. "Thanks for the warning. Wouldn't want to scare them away before they get to see my sexy side."

Just then, two adults and a small child approached, one of the many families who had arrived right as the festival started to get an early start. The kid, a boy of perhaps five years, already had a lollipop in hand, but he still pointed excitedly at the fried sweet potato stand.

"You already have a treat," his mother cooed. "After you finish it, we can get a proper dinner."

"Those do smell really good," the father muttered quietly, trying to keep the boy from overhearing.

Suddenly the boy stopped and pointed directly at Neko. "A kitty! A pretty kitty! She's seshi!"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" His mother followed his gaze and saw the cat-eared shrine maiden, but that didn't explain the word 'seshi', which didn't have any meaning that made sense here.

"Daddy said girls with kitty ears are really se— seku— um, seshi! And he said not to tell you that, so keep it a secret."

"Did he now?" She turned to face her husband, smiling coldly. "Was the word he said 'sexy'?"

"Yeah!"

"Thank you, Jiro. You've been a good boy, so I promise to get you a sweet potato later. Daddy, however, is going to skip dinner tonight."

"I am?" the man asked, fidgeting with his watch.

"You are," she replied with a vindictive grin. She lowered her voice. "And we're going to have a talk about your word use around little Jiro. And your thing for cat ears."

Akari expected Neko to be fighting back laughter at that exchange, since it was genuinely amusing and Neko loved to poke fun at human romantic hangups. Instead, the cat spirit was holding her chin in one hand and leaning against the stage, deep in thought.

"Seshi, huh?" she mumbled to herself. "Seshi. I could live with that. I could thrive with that."

"Neko? What's up?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Neko bounced excitedly on her toes. "Let's get ready for the idol show. It's starting soon!"